Adams 'Abuse Claim' Extradition Opposed

A top republican politician is facing-up to dealing again with an embarrassing family 'skeleton'.

As the General Election looms within weeks, the brother of West Belfast candidate and sitting MP, Gerry Adams, (pictured) has confirmed that he will fight extradition from the Irish Republic to NI on sex abuse charges.

Liam Adams, 54, is wanted in Northern Ireland to answer allegations of sexual abuse against his daughter.

His legal team said he would contest the move, despite having handed himself over to police in Dublin in March after a European arrest warrant was served.

He was remanded on continuing bail until 19 May at the High Court in Dublin on Wednesday after his team said they will lodge their objection to the extradition request next month.

The alleged offences against his daughter, Aine Tyrell, date from March 1977 to March 1983. She can now be named as she waived her right to anonymity last December, but Mr Adams has denied he fled Northern Ireland more than a year ago to escape prosecution.

Instead he feared he and his children were in danger after media reports of the allegations and he also maintains he will not get a fair trial in Belfast.

The republcial leader, Gerry Adams, has been in the spotlight too, as there were claims that rather than dealing with his brother's alleged offences, he arranged for him to be moved away - and has been accused of a 'cover-up' of the matter.

Gerry Adams has insisted that he did not know his alleged child abuser brother Liam was still working for the party in his West Belfast constituency - even after he had ordered his removal from membership.

He has been facing calls to explain how in 2000 Liam Adams chaired a local branch of Sinn Féin in west Belfast, even though Gerry Adams said he had his brother thrown out of the party in 1997 after Liam's daughter Aine had told him that her father had sexually abused her since she was four.

Gerry was also facing mounting questions over how Liam was able to enjoy an extensive career in youth work and Sinn Féin - both in Belfast and Dundalk - after the party leader had become convinced his brother was a child sex abuser, in 1987.

With a General Election poll next month, it is a distraction the republican boss coud well have done without.

See: Adams Defends SF Over Sex Abuse

(BMcC/GK)